[lentil987]

I am planning on growing melon for the first time in my new greenhouse.
Has anyone grown this before and if so how do you care for them.
Do they grow like marrow? Do I pick out or just let the thing grow? Should I let it grow along the ground or should I tie it up a cane and grown upwards. If i grow it upwards what do I do with the growing fruit?

any help gratefully received!

Thanks

[Heather_S]

I didn't get the chance to grow melons last year though I tried without a greenhouse... the cold winds killed and beat up the melon seedlings
If you have the space and want to let them trail, that's fine. You can grow them up a trellis and you need to support the baby fruit by using either onion bags or old tights. You enclose the baby fruits in the tights or onion bag and tie it to your support/frame. You can do the same to small/baby pumpkins.

[Jerry]

Managed to grow a couple outside in 2003 when we had a really hot summer. They like a good free draining soil, but you mustn't let it dry out - so they like moisture but not wetness. I grew mine on a mound of well rotted horse manure and kitchen compost mixed with the soil. They like a high phosphate feed.
Once grew them in a small greenhouse, on growing bags, one plant per bag, with drip irrigation via upended 2 litre pop bottles. Growing bag was underneath the slatted shelving, tied string to rafters and fed back down through the slats and tied it to the growing bag, as the stem grew up the string, I let a fruit develop where the shelving was, so the fruit sat on the wooden slatted sheving - found this an easy way to support them. Only allowed 2 fruit per plant to develop though, not sure if you can do more or not.